Regular Member pandamanda111 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 2, 2012 Oh! Right, I forgot! Hard to imagine somebody would not know of petsmart! I keep forgetting that you aren't in the US! Ill go check this weekend and see if they have them Thanks! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Narny105 Posted June 2, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted June 2, 2012 Here you go, Mandie! Look what I found http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzone.com/forum/index.php?/topic/93024-new-betta-not-eating/ Maybe this will help you out too. It has some valuable info on it on idea to help them start to eat, so you can always give them a go 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member pandamanda111 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 2, 2012 (edited) Thanks! Can I do freeze dried bloodworms, or is that bad? I might have some of those, but they're like a year and a half old...do they go bad? I will go test the water and take pix Edited June 2, 2012 by pandamanda111 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member pandamanda111 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 2, 2012 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member pandamanda111 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 2, 2012 Ammonia-0.25 Nitrite-0 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member aihsela Posted June 2, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted June 2, 2012 I have three betta's and all but one do what I call "play" with their food. Suck it in, spit it out and repeat lol. I thinks it all depends on the personality of the fish. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member kortniee Posted June 2, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted June 2, 2012 Mandie, I know this is in a different thread from where you asked but I think it's a good place for it. When I want to suck stuff off the bottom of tiny tanks I use air line. You have to suck on one end to make a siphon, which can be gross if you aren't careful, but it's not too bad. Basically you just suck air out of one end until the water in the tube is up and over the tank and back below where the tank's water line is. You can suck a lot of things off the bottom of the tank in a very targeted way this way. It also drains water fairly slowly so you can do a good vacuuming without draining all of your water. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member pandamanda111 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 2, 2012 suck like...with your mouth?? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member kortniee Posted June 2, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted June 2, 2012 Yep. If the tube is empty when you start, you should end up with no water in your mouth. You just want to suck on the other end till the water is far enough into the tube to start a siphon. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member SynthHermit Posted June 2, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted June 2, 2012 Mandie, I know this is in a different thread from where you asked but I think it's a good place for it. When I want to suck stuff off the bottom of tiny tanks I use air line. You have to suck on one end to make a siphon, which can be gross if you aren't careful, but it's not too bad. Basically you just suck air out of one end until the water in the tube is up and over the tank and back below where the tank's water line is. You can suck a lot of things off the bottom of the tank in a very targeted way this way. It also drains water fairly slowly so you can do a good vacuuming without draining all of your water. Yep. If the tube is empty when you start, you should end up with no water in your mouth. You just want to suck on the other end till the water is far enough into the tube to start a siphon. I LOVE cleaning my tanks this way.It's also how I drain/clean my goldfish tanks,since I'm stuck using buckets for now. The first couple times I did it, I didn't know when to stop sucking and got a small mouthful,but you get used what kind of initial force is needed to start the suction,and it becomes smooth sailing. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member ShawneeRiver Posted June 2, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted June 2, 2012 I do that, but I would NOT suck the tube. Just submerge the tube until it's full of water and tip it to get all the air out. Then cover each end with a finger. Put one end in the tank and one in the bucket, and make sure the bucket is lower than the tank. Uncover the ends, and the water will begin to flow down the tube into the bucket. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member kortniee Posted June 2, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted June 2, 2012 That is very smart, Shawn, and makes perfect sense, but I didn't even come close to thinking of it and this is the first I've read of it. Odd, since it makes so much sense. Thanks. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member fantailfan1 Posted June 2, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted June 2, 2012 That's the way I do it, Shawn. But the sucking on the end with your mouth is so much more DaNgErRoUs!! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member pandamanda111 Posted June 3, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 3, 2012 Are freeze dried bloodworms okay? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member ShawneeRiver Posted June 3, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted June 3, 2012 I feed them because I have them, but I know others don't like them. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Narny105 Posted June 3, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted June 3, 2012 Freeze dried bloodworms pretty much have no nutrients in them and are basically dust at the bottom of the packet. You need to soak them, and some bettas will not eat them. Frozen are much better 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Narny105 Posted June 3, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted June 3, 2012 (edited) Mandie, from the photos, he seems clamped. That could be a result of the ammonia, so a water change may improve that. What is the pH and how well planted is the tank? I think it would be a good option to reduce stress as much as possible and see if that has any impact. EDIT: When I started my siphons, I just sucked the tubes, but didn't allow myself to get a mouthful of water. Not a good idea to do, I know, but there are plenty of videos on youtube showing different methods to start the siphon like Shawn said Here's one video which shows a few ways to start one. Edited June 3, 2012 by Narny105 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member pandamanda111 Posted June 3, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 3, 2012 Mandie, from the photos, he seems clamped. That could be a result of the ammonia, so a water change may improve that. What is the pH and how well planted is the tank? I think it would be a good option to reduce stress as much as possible and see if that has any impact. EDIT: When I started my siphons, I just sucked the tubes, but didn't allow myself to get a mouthful of water. Not a good idea to do, I know, but there are plenty of videos on youtube showing different methods to start the siphon like Shawn said Here's one video which shows a few ways to start one. Oh, okay. Bummer. I did a wc, the ph is 8.2 I plan on planting the tank more in the future. Chek out my thread in the betta photos section, it shows the whole tank with plants I added one more moss ball. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Narny105 Posted June 3, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted June 3, 2012 A p.h of 8.2 is too high for bettas. They do well at a slightly acidic to neutral pH, so you need to get it closer to 7.0 over the next week or so. You want to be dropping the pH by no more than .3 a day. If you can get a hold of some Indian Almond leaves, these will drop the pH slow enough not to have any adverse affects on your betta from having a large pH drop, and they will maintain a good pH. One leaf should be all you need for a 5 gallon tank, but you may need to add a second leaf depending on the size you can get You can get these online, but I am not too sure how easy they will be for you to get a hold of. I get them quite easily, and usually in bulk by express post from the lady I gave my female bettas from, but if they are too hard to get, seachem neutral regulator will also drop the pH, but I am not sure just how slowly it does. I am happy to give it a go for you to see how long it takes, since my betta tank pH is at 7.6, and I want to get it down to 7.0. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member pandamanda111 Posted June 3, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 3, 2012 (edited) That would be great! Thanks Does 8.2 make them sick? Or just sad? Edited June 3, 2012 by pandamanda111 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Narny105 Posted June 3, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted June 3, 2012 (edited) Bettas can get used to a pH of 8.2 and live perfectly fine in it. But a pH in their preferable range is a lot better as 8.2 is not ideal. I've just done some reading on it, and neutral regulator will take the pH down slowly if that is what you want to use. It will also soften the water, and I know hard water does tend to cause bettas to clamp and curl their fins Here's what neutral regulator does. It is by far my favourite tropical buffer http://www.seachem.c...lRegulator.html EDIT: The high pH could definitely be the reason for the curled/clamped fins in the pictures, and lowering the pH over the next couple of days might also make him feel a little 'lighter' and more comfortable so to speak . I don't really know much about how the pH would affect them, however it could also be a reason for why he isn't eating, but I am not too sure. Edited June 3, 2012 by Narny105 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member tithra Posted June 3, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted June 3, 2012 I'll say that I recommended the neutral regulator to someone on here doing a fishless cycle (can't remember who) and it did not actually bring the Ph down for them. I have not used it myself so I can't say for sure whether it works or not to actually drop Ph, but in that instance it did not. Just figured I'd throw that out there. However, if you want to try it Mandie, Petsmart has a good return policy and should let you return it if you try it and it doesn't work out. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Narny105 Posted June 3, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted June 3, 2012 (edited) As addition to what Jess said, neutral regulator is a phosphate-based buffering system, meaning it can also increase algae growth as a sort of side-effect, but that really depends on the type and intensity of light. However phosphate buffering systems are usually more stable. What buffer did you use to get the pH to 8.2? usually buffers (that I have come across) that raise the pH to high alkaline levels like gold buffer are bicarbonate-based buffers, and if you were using one like this, you would need to increase the dosage of neutral reg, and can dose daily until you have reached a nice pH of 7.0-7.6 If you are unsure, they will usually have it written on the product saying it is a phosphate-based buffer or a non-phosphate buffer I've never had an issue with neutral regulator, but I have definitely heard it not working If you find something else, or someone else recommends something better, definitely go for it, but just make sure that it will bring the pH down slowly Edited June 3, 2012 by Narny105 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member pandamanda111 Posted June 3, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 3, 2012 Grover died :'( thank you for all your help 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member pandamanda111 Posted June 3, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 3, 2012 Oh, Alex, my tap ph is 8.2. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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